Can't Keep a Secret
by cozyonyxbird
Summary: This contains spoilers for the Sith Warrior storyline before Corellia. There will be a chapter for each of the warrior's crew while on board the Fury. How do the crew members who were not present find out about a certain event?
1. Chapter 1

This was inspired by a comment Lt. Pierce made about not trusting Quinn during one of his companion quests and I had to explain to myself how the rest of the crew found out what happened.

I play a very light side warrior, so in my head she and the other girls are very close. I tried not to give any physical details about the warrior so it suits nearly any PC.

This is my first fanfiction, I normally stick to original characters so I'm a bit nervous about sharing this.

First up is Jaesa.

oOo

"Master?" Jaesa Willsaam kept her voice quiet in case the Sith didn't want to be disturbed.

"Yes, Jaesa, what do you need?" The other woman's low voice sounded rougher than usual. Almost as if she had been…crying?

"I was worried about you," Jaesa admitted.

"I am Sith. Why would you worry about me?" The Sith was trying to sound scornful, Jaesa knew, and if she couldn't feel her master's pain screaming through the Force she might have believed it.

Jaesa had never had cause to enter the Sith's private rooms before, and wouldn't have dared under any circumstances other than these, where she could feel the agony pouring off the other woman. She stepped into the darkened room. Once her eyes had adjusted to the gloom, she saw the Sith Lord curled up on a chair in the corner. Her head raised as the former Jedi padawan approached and Jaesa gasped. She had seen her master injured, angry, even frightened. She didn't think she'd ever seen such an empty, desolate look on anyone before though.

"Master," she breathed, dropping to her knees next to the chair, "Master, what happened? What's wrong? I can feel your anguish, but I can't find the source. Please, let me help you."

For a moment, she thought the Sith's pride would win out. Then, the façade broke. Fresh tears ran down her face. Without even a thought that this was a Sith she was trying to comfort, Jaesa rose from her knees to wrap her arms around the other woman.

"I can't…I can't…" Jaesa listened to the broken sobbing, her own heart hurting at her mentor's obvious pain.

A shadow blocked the light from the passageway, and Jaesa looked over to see Captain Quinn standing there, slightly hunched over. She frowned when he turned and hurried off. Why wasn't he the one holding the Sith? After all, they were married, or something like it. Jaesa wasn't terribly clear on the details other than they were crazy about one another.

Jaesa shifted and the Sith hissed in pain before pulling away. "I'm fine," she snapped before her apprentice could question her.

Jaesa frowned. The Sith Lord was obviously injured and she realized then that Quinn had been moving more stiffly than usual, as if he were also.

"I brought these!" Both women jumped at the cheery tones of the new voice. Vette's head cocked curiously, "I snuck up on both of you? Wow, I must be better than I thought."

"Vette…"

"You must not have been paying attention, but I thought you'd "feel" me through the Force anyway. Not that I know how…"

"Vette!" The warrior's voice cracked like a whip, stunning the twi'lek into silence, "I am in no mood to listen to your inane prattling. Do not make me find your shock collar."

"Well, actually, it's…" she trailed off, and Jaesa saw her throat clench convulsively.

For a Sith, their lord was remarkably laid back and Jaesa didn't think she would ever actually Force choke one of her crew. She had clearly given Vette a warning though, one the former slave seemed to be taking very seriously.

"Sorry, my lord," the twi'lek held out the items she had brought. Medical supplies.

"I don't need those," the Sith snapped. Jaesa moved away as the lightning flickered over the other woman's body in response to her emotional turmoil.

Gathering her courage, Jaesa spoke, "Yes, master, you do. You're injured."

"It's nothing," she turned away from them.

"She's injured?" Vette piped up, "Then shouldn't we get—"

"Get out! Both of you!"

Jaesa and Vette retreated to the doorway and exchanged a glance. The twi'lek's expression became resolute and she marched back into the room, blue lekku twitching nervously, medical supplies still clutched in her hands.

Of all the crew, Jaesa thought Vette probably had the best chance of making it out of this conversation alive. The Sith and former slave were very close, closer than Jaesa would have ever expected considering how their friendship started. The former Jedi left the room and its silent occupants to hunt down the only person who might actually be able to tell her what had happened.

She found Captain Quinn in the medical bay as she had expected. He didn't turn when she entered and she used the Force to shut the door and lock it. She had seen Lieutenant Pierce peeking out into the passageway and the last thing anyone needed right now was the contentiousness he seemed to thrive on.

When the lock beeped, Quinn turned, "I suppose you wish to know what happened on the transponder station."

Jaesa was able to suppress her shock at his appearance just enough to note that he hadn't asked a question. Still, she nodded mutely, her eyes trailing over the gashes and bruises that seemed to crisscross his entire body.

His tunic was in tatters. The normally immaculate captain looked like he had been the loser of a free-for-all in a cantina on Hutta. "I won't tell you everything," he said flatly, as he began carefully removing his jacket so he could treat the wounds, "It is not your right to know. At least, not yet."

"Who did this to you?" Jaesa finally managed to whisper, her horror at his injuries apparent.

The reserved captain grew even colder and more distant as he said the words, "My wife."

Jaesa stared, "She…no…why would she…" as one part of her mind tried to reject his statement, another part was noticing the burnt edges on the clothing, the cauterized wounds. There was very little blood for the number of injuries he had. It was unmistakably the work of a lightsaber. One wielded by someone very proficient in the art.

"I deserve every wound, Jaesa, and more. Do not waste any pity for me." The man's Force sense reeked of self-loathing and despair. And pain. The same deep, heart-wrenching pain she had felt from the Sith.

Jaesa fixed her eyes on the captain's pale, expressionless face. How did he hide such turmoil behind that mask? "What did you do?" She managed to keep her voice controlled. He was the source of the pain. Both in himself and the Sith. He had done something. Something that was possibly unforgiveable.

He met her eyes then, and she reeled from the anguish that hit her as he did, "I conspired with her most hated enemy to end her life." He said it so matter-of-factly that if she had not been able to feel the torment the words caused in him she would have thought he was completely heartless.

"You helped Baras?" her voice was harsh, "How could you?"

"That is all I will say," he replied quietly, "Other than I obviously, thankfully, was unsuccessful and for reasons I do not understand, she did not choose to kill me." His eyes closed, "I deserved death. I still do."

Jaesa fought down the maelstrom of emotion rising in her, tainted with the Dark side. She never thought to say it about a Sith, but her master was a good person and did nothing to deserve what Baras was doing to her. She had done everything the Darth had ordered to perfection and her reward was betrayal and constant attempts on her life.

Jaesa could feel the Captain's piercing eyes studying her as she fought to contain the fury that was trying to engulf her. She had been hunted across the galaxy and had not fallen to the Dark side. She had seen her master, Nomen Karr, crumble before her eyes, his inner demons finally overcoming his control, and she had not fallen to the Dark side. She would not fall now. Gritting her teeth at the effort, she met Quinn's gaze. He had stopped treating his wounds and was watching her warily, "Will you now kill me?" he asked quietly, clearly his familiarity with the Sith had allowed him to recognize the emotions she was fighting.

Jaesa shook her head to clear it, "If my master wants you alive. You will not die by my hand."

He relaxed minutely, "But you want to."

She took a deep breath, centering herself again in the Light, "No. I don't want to kill you. I want to help my master. The others, however…" She winced at the thought of how Lieutenant Pierce would react. The man hated Quinn. Jaesa suspected it was because he harbored feelings for the Sith and she had made it clear she was not remotely interested in him. Quinn might have slightly lorded that fact over the lieutenant as well. Broonmark's loyalties were a bit murky. He followed the Sith, but as far as Jaesa could tell, the Talz was just psychotic and thought this would be the path that brought the most bloodshed his way. Vette was flighty, but when it came down to it, she was fiercely loyal to the Sith as well. Her method of revenge was more likely to come in the form of snarky comments though.

He nodded, "Yes. She said we weren't going to discuss it with everyone just yet. I imagine it will come out. It can't help but do so." Jaesa saw his expression cloud over. She wondered if he was running through the same thoughts she just had. She saw him wince slightly and realized he probably was.

"Pierce, Broonmark or Vette?" she asked with a faint smile.

"I'm sorry?"

"Which one worries you the most? As far as what their reactions would be, I mean."

He sighed as he slathered the kolto onto his torso. Jaesa handed him the bandaging materials, "Honestly, I don't know. Broonmark would simply split me up the middle, which might actually be preferable. Vette…Vette would subject me to incessant commentary, and possibly shoot me," Jaesa smiled slightly at the addendum, "Pierce will increase his efforts to woo her, and likely be successful now where he wasn't before, at which point he would make sure I knew every detail. That would be the worst, I think. To be honest, I was concerned about your reaction as well."

Jaesa smiled grimly at him, moving to help, "You're forgetting I can feel you in the Force. I know you're remorseful and sincere. That may be why she didn't kill you. Though I think it more likely that she let you live simply because she loves you."

Quinn's head drooped, "She doesn't. Not anymore. I destroyed her trust in me. Why would she give me her heart again when I betrayed her so deeply?"

Jaesa paused as she wrapped the bandaging around him, "I admit I haven't known her as long as you, or Vette, but I think I have a pretty good idea of how she works. The past is the past as far as she's concerned. You attack her, she beats you, she doesn't kill you even though she can because there's no purpose to it. She could have killed me on Hutta, she chose not to. She certainly hadn't given me a reason to attack her the way I did. She treated everyone fairly while searching for me, and I know they did not extend her the same courtesy. My mother told me how their Jedi bodyguard treated her. But she didn't kill him. My father was abominably rude, but she arranged a good life for them. Master Yonlach deceived her and tried to kill her, and she let him and his apprentice live…"

"Jaesa, I understand where you're coming from. She doesn't kill unless someone gives her no other choice. But none of those you've listed were in the same position. I'm her husband. I should never have even considered Baras' plan. I should have told her as soon as he approached me."

"Yes. But I'm not sure you could have."

"What do you mean?"

"Captain, Baras is a member of the Dark Council, right?" He nodded, "That makes him one of the twelve most powerful Sith in the galaxy as I understand it. Do you think you had a choice? I've never met Baras personally, but Vette has told me about him. She said he could Force choke someone by holo from across the galaxy. Do you really think that someone that powerful couldn't have prevented you from saying anything or from doing anything other than exactly what he wanted?"

"Jaesa is right."

They both whirled around in shock to face the Sith Lord. How she had entered the medical bay without either of them noticing was a mystery to Jaesa, but she was standing near the still closed door, Vette leaning against the wall to her right.

"I…I thought I locked…"

"You did," the Sith replied, "Vette has many talents. Slicing locks happens to be one of them."

The twi'lek grinned slightly at the praise.

Quinn had gone stiff and silent, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. Jaesa turned back to him and finished wrapping the bandaging around his torso. Striving for a light tone, she addressed her master, "Did you need something, master?"

"Vette refuses to leave me alone until I have this one injury looked at. She claims it is beyond her abilities and beyond the supplies that she brought." As she spoke, the Sith hopped lightly onto the exam table. She watched Jaesa for a long moment before speaking again, "How are his injuries?"

"Mostly superficial. The bruising is probably going to lead to stiffness for a few days and the burns are going to hurt, but there was minimal bleeding and the Captain should recover fully within a week."

The warrior nodded, "That is what I expected. I didn't know your medical training was so complete, Jaesa."

The former Jedi smiled slightly, "I learned many things at the academy. All Jedi are taught the basics of healing," she shrugged. "Which injury is Vette concerned about?"

The Sith tugged her tunic up to reveal a wicked gash along her ribcage. "Ironically, I think this particular injury was not deliberate."

"It looks like a vibroblade," Jaesa said, "Those are rarely accidentally shoved into someone." She felt Quinn wince at her words.

"True, but in this case I believe it was during an attempt to return it to its sheath or place it on the ground and I slammed into it. Otherwise, it would not have gotten under the edge of my armor like it did."

Jaesa nodded in understanding. Quinn had surrendered but the Sith had either been mid attack or angry enough to hit him one more time and his blade had slipped up under her armor. "Well, it looks like it needs stitching, master, and I'm afraid my medical skills don't cover suturing." She studied Quinn's pale face. Would he be able to stitch up an injury he had inflicted?

As if sensing the tenor of her thoughts, the man finally raised his head. He didn't quite meet the Sith's eyes as he said, "If you will permit me, my lord. I will tend to the injury."

"Of course, Captain. I would not have come here otherwise." She paused, and Jaesa saw her gaze roam over her husband's dejected form, "I meant what I said earlier. And Jaesa was right about Baras. The Voss warned me, and I should have listened closer."

"The Voss?" Vette repeated blankly.

"Their mystics have extremely accurate Force visions about the future. And they warned me. I didn't listen."

Quinn had moved over to examine the Sith's wound. Jaesa saw his face tighten at the sight of the gash in his wife's skin, a gash he put there. He was shaking his head at her words, as though to deny any responsibility that did not rest squarely on his shoulders.

The warrior could read his thoughts as well, and her hand caught his wrist as he started to turn away to get the materials he needed. "It is Baras' fault. No one else's," The fierceness in her voice caused him to raise his eyes to meet hers finally, "He uses people. He used me to get revenge on Nomen Karr. He used you to get to me. It's what he does. He's a coward. And one day, very soon, I am going to make him pay for everything he has done. To all of us. I ask you to stand with me. Will you?"

"I will stand with you, my lord." Vette said, for once completely serious.

Jaesa nodded, "As will I."

Captain Quinn's face hardened in determination, "Yes. I will stand with you. No matter what happens."


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter was, hands down, my favorite to write. I adore Vette and looking at things from her perspective was a blast.

There is some unavoidable overlap in conversation since this is taking place at the same time as the previous chapter and Vette and Jaesa were both in the room at the same time. I tried to keep it from being too repetitive.

Vette's musings on the relationship between Quinn, Baras, and the Sith are actually my own before I got to that point in the game.

oOo

Something was wrong. Vette wasn't Force sensitive by any means, but she knew something had been off onboard the Fury since the Sith and Captain Fancy-pants had returned from the transponder station in silence. She hadn't actually seen them as she had been trying to clear Talz fur out of the air filter in the passageway. Why Broonmark had to set up shop across from her was a puzzle, a really irritating puzzle. He freaked her out to be honest, and Vette had come across some freaky things in her life. And he shed, constantly, to the point she wondered if he had any hair left actually _on_ his body. Not to mention he kept messing with the temperature regulator and turning that half of the ship into an icebox.

The ship was silent, which wasn't exactly unusual. Most of the crew relaxed during the jumps. There wasn't anything to do, and staring out the viewport at hyperspace could really do a number on your mind after a while. Vette knew this one from experience, she and Risha had dared one another to try it as kids. It hadn't been pretty.

That being said, Vette really wasn't one to just sit around and twiddle her thumbs either. She was long overdue for pulling a prank on that irritating Lieutenant and she owed the furry nuisance for clogging up her filters as well. She frowned at that last thought, 'furry nuisance' made the Talz sound like something small and cute, but slightly annoying. He was anything but small or cute, and more than just slightly annoying. She sighed, why was she editing her own thoughts anyway? Oh, right, because there were two people on the ship who could read them. Well, if they wanted to. Vette was fairly sure her thoughts were not that interesting to anyone else.

But, a prank war with the lieutenant could be fun, or deadly, he might not take pranks as well as Quinn had, and that was saying a lot. Though he had eventually thawed out and gotten her back. Vette could respect when she'd been beaten and she declared an informal truce with the captain. Jaesa she had yet to get the drop on. The former Jedi was unmatched at sensing Vette's mischievousness and stopping it before it happened. But Vette liked Jaesa and knew that the few times she'd managed to play her pranks it had been because Jaesa had allowed her to. She wasn't even going to try with Broonmark though. Nope. Not even going there.

As she was leaving her quarters, her com beeped. Vette pulled it out in annoyance. The only people who could com her while they were in hyperspace were on the ship. It was Captain Quinn, at least she thought it was. The image was oddly blurred and his voice was not as crisp and clear as normal when he requested she come pick up some medical supplies to take to the Sith Lord in her quarters. Vette frowned at the request. Why couldn't _he_ do it? She had important things to…well, maybe not _important_, but still…

Heaving a long-suffering sigh, the former slave tossed her lekku over one shoulder and wandered over to the door of the medbay. She raised her hand to knock and then noticed the pile of supplies sitting by the door. Quinn's behavior was very strange today. Even for Quinn. But she picked them up and headed to the Sith's private quarters.

The door was open when she arrived, but the lights were so dim she couldn't see what was going on. Squaring her shoulders, she walked right into the room, soon finding the Sith curled on a chair and Jaesa kneeling on the floor next to her. They were talking in low voices. Jaesa seemed concerned about something but the Sith sounded dismissive.

She took a breath, "I brought these!" she chirped brightly. Both women jumped and Vette realized neither of them had known she was in the room, "Wow! I snuck up on both of you? I must be better than I thought." She had been practicing, of course, but still to sneak up on both a Sith Lord and a former Jedi…She must have some special power that even _she _didn't know about.

"You must not have been paying attention, but I thought you'd "feel" me through the Force, anyway. Not that I know how…"

"Vette!" the crack of the warrior's voice let the twi'lek know that this was not the first time her name had been said and she trailed off into silence, "I am in no mood to listen to your inane prattling. Do not make me find your shock collar."

As it happened, Vette knew exactly where the hated collar was, "Well, actually, it's…" a slight tightness clenched around her throat, just enough to get her attention and send a cold chill down her spine. She was fairly confident the Sith wouldn't Force choke her to _death_, but it was the scariest thing she had ever felt anyway.

"Sorry, my lord," the twi'lek held out the medical supplies she had brought.

"I don't need those," the Sith snapped. Vette saw Jaesa move away as lightning flickered over the Sith Lord's body. Something Vette was fairly sure she'd never seen happen in the time she'd known the Sith.

Jaesa spoke for the first time since Vette entered the room, her voice quiet but firm, "Yes, master, you do. You're injured."

"It's nothing," she turned away from them.

"She's injured?" Vette wondered why Quinn wasn't here, "Then shouldn't we get—"

"Get out! Both of you!"

Vette and Jaesa retreated to the doorway and exchanged a glance. Jaesa's expression was as bland as ever, Vette had asked Jaesa once in a fit of pique if they taught an "Enigmatic Expressions" class on Tython, but her brown eyes looked worried, and they pleaded with Vette to do something since she knew the warrior the best out of all of them. The twi'lek's expression became resolute and she marched back into the room, blue lekku twitching nervously, medical supplies still clutched in her hands. She was going to help, somehow.

She didn't see Jaesa leave, but had a feeling the woman was going to find Captain Quinn and try to get some answers. She stood silently beside the Sith's chair for a long moment trying to decide what she could say that was least likely to get her killed.

"Vette, I told you to leave."

"I know."

"Then you shouldn't still be here."

"My lord, I don't know what's going on, but Jaesa said you were injured and Captain Quinn sent me—"

"He sent you?" the Sith demanded, her face hard as she stared the twi'lek down.

"Well, yeah, he commed me, and who does that? Who coms someone during a hyperspace jump when you're on the same ship? Like he had somewhere else to be and he couldn't just walk over? But he did and told me to bring these to you, but he wouldn't even let me into the medbay, just had the supplies sitting by the door, and I know something happened, but I don't know what and it's bothering me." Vette finished speaking and sat with a thump on the floor, the supplies falling into her lap like a broken doll.

Finally, the Sith broke the silence, "It's not something I want to talk about, Vette. I don't even want to think about it."

Vette looked up, her violet eyes were curious, but the serious expression on her blue face was so out of place it was almost comical.

The warrior sighed, "Fine. I'm going to need help reaching some of my injuries. I guess it would be best if I lay on the bed."

Vette watched from the floor as the powerful Sith stripped off her armor, which she now noticed was covered in scorch marks, and lay down on her bed in just the light tunic and pants she wore underneath. The former slave stood and approached her master, who had become her friend, almost her sister. She could see the tension in the woman's frame. Not just from the pain of her injuries, but from some emotional pain she was unable to put a name to.

Vette started to clean and dress the wounds. She couldn't help but recognize the source of most of them, "Droids?" she asked quietly.

The Sith nodded, "Two of them. Specially designed to kill me." Her voice was quiet, emotion simmering beneath the surface.

"So, it was a trap."

"Yes."

"Baras?"

Hesitation, "Yes."

"I wondered…" Vette trailed off.

"Wondered what?"

Vette hesitated. She wasn't nearly as flighty as everyone thought she was. She paid attention, and she knew how people worked. She had also been around Sith long enough to know that at some point the master and the apprentice would fight it out. If the master won, they would eventually take on a new apprentice, if the apprentice did, they took their master's place. Baras' betrayal was hardly a surprise, and she didn't think her master had been particularly shocked by it, more disgusted that she hadn't caught on earlier. Because Vette knew that one day her master and Baras would end up at odds with each other, she had wondered what would happen with regards to Quinn. He was fiercely loyal, and believed he owed Baras a great debt. On the other hand, he loved their lord devotedly and was just as loyal to her. He was going to have to choose, and Vette had a feeling that's exactly what had happened.

"Vette?"

The twi'lek smeared some kolto over an obvious knife wound. She had seen enough to know that this wound had come from a knife exactly like the one the captain carried, "It was Quinn, wasn't it?" she asked finally.

The way the Sith stiffened answered her question, but the woman responded, "I should have known you'd figure it out. Was I really so blind?" she asked abruptly, her voice turning desolate, "How did I not see it?"

Vette considered her answer, she was doing that a lot more today than she was used to, "I don't think you were blind. As for not seeing it, you love him, why would you suspect him?"

"I still should have sensed something," she growled. Vette watched the Sith's expression turn inward and she gasped suddenly.

"My lord?"

She shook her head, "He told Jaesa. She's furious…"

Vette heard the surprise in her voice, "Why are you so shocked? Jaesa cares about you, you must know that."

"I took her away from her master, from everything she knew and loved. She should hate me."

"Yeah, well, you're a very likable person. We all like you. Maybe not Broonmark, I'm not sure he likes anyone to be honest."

That earned her a laugh, a short, sharp bark of laughter, but a laugh, "He may not, but he does have his uses."

"Yeah, clogging up air filters." Vette examined the wound on the edge of the Sith's ribcage more closely, "I don't think I can do much for this one. You should have…someone else look at it."

The warrior caught her pause, "You mean Quinn."

It wasn't a question, but Vette answered, "Well, yeah, I mean I barely know what I'm doing here, but from what I know of knife wounds, that one needs suturing and I can't do that."

The Sith lay quiet for a long moment, "Jaesa believes him." She stated suddenly, "She feels he's telling the truth now."

"She…told you that?" Vette frowned, could they talk like that? She wasn't sure.

"No, not really, but she's calmed down." The woman sighed, "She nearly gave into the Dark side. Because she cares about me…"

"Jaesa? She'd be terrifying if she turned to the Dark side. You'd have to put a leash on her."

The Sith looked amused, but thoughtful, "I hadn't thought about it but you may be right. Let's go."

"To the medbay?"

"You said I needed sutures, that's where we'll find them."

They reached the medbay only to find the door locked. Vette glanced down the passageway and saw Pierce leaning out of his quarters curiously. She bit her lip, "I think I can slice this, my lord, but we may want to be more discreet." She tilted her head to the side to indicate where the lieutenant was watching.

The Sith glanced at him and waved her hand irritably. Vette watched in amusement as the former black ops soldier's eyes rolled up in his head and he slumped to the ground without a sound. "He won't remember seeing anything."

"Neat trick," Vette commented. She focused on the lock. It was a simple one fortunately or her meager slicing skills would not have been sufficient. She moved slicing to the top of her list of what to practice next. The door slid open silently and she saw Jaesa talking quietly to Quinn as she helped him wrap a bandage around his torso.

They both entered and the Sith closed and relocked the door. Neither of the other two had noticed them yet and they heard the end of their conversation.

"Yes. But I'm not sure you could have." Jaesa was saying. Vette wasn't sure what she was referring to but guessed it had to do with Quinn obeying Baras' orders. Frankly, Vette thought Jaesa had a point. Baras was not the type to leave things to chance and there was no way he'd condone Quinn not doing what he wanted him to.

"What do you mean?" Quinn asked with a slight frown.

"Captain, Baras is a member of the Dark Council, right?" Quinn nodded, "That makes him one of the twelve most powerful Sith in the galaxy as I understand it. Do you think you had a choice? I've never met Baras personally, but Vette has told me about him. She said he could Force choke someone by holo from across the galaxy. Do you really think that someone that powerful couldn't have prevented you from saying anything or from doing anything other than exactly what he wanted?"

"Jaesa is right."

Vette grinned as both humans jumped at the sound of the Sith's voice. Quinn's eyes immediately dropped and he was studying the tips of his toes very intently. Jaesa looked nonplussed, "I…I thought I locked that…"

"You did. Vette has many talents. Slicing locks happens to be one of them." Vette grinned again at her master's praise. At least someone thought she was useful.

Vette tuned out as the Sith showed Jaesa the injury and they discussed it. She saw Quinn finally approach the women and tentatively offer to help. The twi'lek had always found she learned more from watching body language than listening to what people said, so she carefully observed the three in the room with her.

Jaesa's posture screamed how uncomfortable she was and how desperate to do _some_thing to help make the situation less painful for everyone involved. She eagerly turned from one to the other, as if her undivided attention would help make peace with the couple.

Quinn was miserable. Every line of his body declared defeat, fear, and loss. He didn't think he would ever be forgiven and his posture showed it. More than that, he didn't think he _should_ be forgiven, which meant he was going to argue if he was told he had been.

The Sith was harder to read. She was very good at controlling what those around her saw, and Vette was no exception to her influence. She was, however, more familiar with the Sith than the other two and knew most of her tells by now. Her master was devastated. She played nonchalance, treating Quinn no differently than she ever had when they were with the other crew members, but Vette saw the slightly different tilt to her head that indicated she wasn't as confident as she was acting. Her smiles were just a shade too wide, nothing that anyone else was likely to notice. And she kept flicking at the nail of her right pinky finger. Vette had learned quickly that this was a sign she was uncomfortable.

Vette tuned back in briefly when the Sith mentioned the Voss, explaining about their mystics and the visions they had. She didn't seem to want to share the details of exactly what the mystic had told her though. This told Vette that it had been rather specific and the Sith knew it would be painful, for Quinn at least, to hear it. The fact that the warrior was hesitant to cause the captain more pain spoke volumes to Vette as well.

The Sith was currently talking about Baras, "He's a coward. And one day, very soon, I am going to make him pay for everything he has done. To all of us. I ask you to stand with me. Will you?"

"I will stand with you, my lord." Vette said immediately, for once completely serious.

Jaesa nodded, her pretty face was stern, "As will I."

Captain Quinn's face hardened in determination, blue eyes flashing, "Yes. I will stand with you. No matter what happens."

Vette thought now would be a great time for a group hug, but she had a feeling that wouldn't go over too well if she suggested it, so she kept quiet.


	3. Chapter 3

This chapter was much harder for me. I don't like Pierce for one thing, and I felt he needed to be much cruder than I could end up making him, so I'm not terribly happy with how I portrayed him. I think he'd have pushed the rating up to 'M' if he had his way.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! I only have Broonmark left. I'm not planning on doing a chapter from either Quinn's or the PC's perspective, it's been done by others already.

oOo

Pierce woke up with a crick in his neck, ice cold, and slumped against the door to his quarters. He also felt like a herd of banthas had been dancing on his head. With such a great start, he wasn't expecting much from the day. He wondered briefly exactly how he had come to be in that position, but he did recall doing some serious drinking the night before. Hyperspace jumps were boring and unless there was something…fun to do, he usually made a point of spending jumps drunk. And by something fun the lieutenant was thinking along the lines of a half dozen pretty slave girls, species negotiable, all ready and willing to do whatever he wanted, preferably several times.

As tense as he'd been lately though, six of them might not even be enough. He put his hand to his head and groaned. This was more than a hangover headache. He had no idea what happened, but he had a vague suspicion.

When he first joined the Sith's crew, he had been completely infatuated with her, okay so he still was, not the point. He had gotten drunk on the first jump and tried to get a little friendly. She had walloped him with some Force thing that dropped him to the ground and left him shaky for days. He only remembered it had happened because she had made a point to tell him when he was coherent enough to understand.

He recognized the banthas that were playing bad cantina music with his skull now. They were definitely the same ones she had called up before. Now he just had to figure out if he really had tried to make a move on her. He didn't think so. She might star, prominently, in pretty much all of his fantasies, but she'd made her point pretty clear and no matter how much he detested that worm of a captain she was so taken with, he wasn't stupid enough to press the issue either.

Pierce hauled himself upright and tried to focus. He remembered seeing Vette a couple of times. Now, _there_ was a possibility. He wondered how the Sith would feel if he started spending his jumps with the twi'lek. She was cute, limber, and had been a slave so she knew how things worked. On the other hand, she didn't seem to know when to shut up and was more likely to make him want to kill her than to keep him entertained. Add to that the fact that she and the Sith Lord were particularly close, and he thought he'd better shelve that idea for now.

Jaesa, he'd seen her too. She was a pretty thing as well. But again with the whole Force thing. He got the feeling Jaesa would send him reeling if she even caught him _thinking_ about her that way. That hadn't stopped him of course. Many of his fantasies included all three women, sometimes he was participating, sometimes he was just watching. Either way suited him just fine.

Why did he have to be stuck on this ship with three gorgeous women, none of whom he was allowed to have a little innocent fun with? Or not so innocent, depends how you looked at it.

He was getting sidetracked though. The point to this exercise was to figure out why he had spent the night on the floor, not to send him to the 'fresher for yet another cold shower. He didn't even bother with the warm water anymore. No point.

So, he had seen all three women at some point yesterday, he was fairly certain of that. Granted, it might not have been yesterday. The way the Sith tended to do things it might have been last week. That would certainly explain the smell he was currently exuding.

He heard a door slide open and looked out to see that idiot captain exiting the medbay. He frowned, the medbay definitely had something to do with what was going on. All three women, _and_ the captain had entered the medbay. Had all four of them had been in there at the same time? His favorite fantasy suddenly popped up, but this time _Quinn_ was in his place and Pierce found his fists balled up in anger when he finally banished the hateful image. That was NOT what they were doing. He was pretty much positive about that.

Well, he could figure this out. He was black ops, not that that had any bearing on his ability to do detective work, or lack thereof. Again, not the point.

So, focus, the medbay. That means someone got hurt. Okay. The only ones who had been off the ship recently were the Sith and that pathetic captain. He'd been training and hadn't seen them return, just heard the hiss of the door and shortly after that the ship vibrated in the way that signaled a jump to hyperspace. They had needed to stop at the transponder station for some check, or to pick something up, or something like that. He hadn't been paying that close of attention, other than to note that Quinn was the only one who seemed to know about this new rule.

That brought him up short. Why didn't anyone else know? Granted, Quinn flew the ship and was the Sith's second in command, Pierce refused to acknowledge the man as her husband, so he was privy to more information than the rest of the crew. But if it was something required for travel in the Corellian system, it should be easy enough to find out what it was.

Now that he had a plan, Pierce wasted no time. He needed to search the holonet. Slight problem though. The access terminal was in Vette's workspace which meant he would need to deal with her incessant babble the entire time he was in the room. He steeled himself, this had to be done. Before he got to the door, he got another whiff of himself. Yeah, okay, maybe he had time for a shower.

So, it wasn't the quickest shower he'd ever taken. He indulged himself a bit. Sadly, his favorite fantasy was now tainted, so he had to substitute with his second favorite. Still, enjoyable enough and he was feeling pretty relaxed as he walked across the ship to Vette's area.

It was very quiet he noticed. No one was talking in the cockpit which meant Quinn was either alone or not there. The Sith was nowhere to be seen, but sounds from the training room indicated she was probably there. He forced his mind away from that. He didn't have time to indulge in favorite fantasy number four right now. From the sounds of things, Jaesa was with her, favorite fantasy number three, which required twice as much willpower to pull his mind away from. He'd seen the two of them sparring once. That was…well, two beautiful women, dressed in very short, tight workout clothes, dripping with sweat while they danced around each other, occasionally coming together and wrestling briefly. It was the stuff dreams were made of, literally.

Pierce frowned, he didn't remember having such a one-track mind before he joined the Sith. This must be what weeks of self-imposed celibacy did to him. Why he thought that would make a difference to the Sith, he wasn't entirely sure. He used to at least be able to focus somewhat on his mission objective though. With some difficulty, he pulled his mind from the sound of feminine grunts and pointed it resolutely at the holonet terminal. He was starting to desperately hope that Vette was not in the room when he got there, or that she'd at least keep her mouth shut.

He stuck his head around the doorframe. No one. This might go better than he'd hoped. He tuned out the other sounds and pulled up everything he could find on travel in the Corellian system. After twenty minutes, all he'd read were advisories for tourists, mostly telling them to get out while they could. Not a single mention of special requirements or any reason to stop at any transponder station.

Pierce leaned back and frowned. So, needing to go to the transponder station was a lie. But why had Quinn insisted they stop? It wasn't so he could get time alone with the Sith. She had no problem telling them all to get out whenever the mood struck, and she didn't exactly mince words when she did. His frown deepened; at least one of them had come back injured. What had happened?

"Hey, lieutenant! Looking for me?"

He whipped around at Vette's voice. The twi'lek was watching him carefully, "Naw, just checking on something. Needed holonet access."

"Oh, okay," she was watching him in a way that made him very uncomfortable. Sometimes he felt like she might be brighter than she let on. "I need my workstation. Sorry, boss needs me to check on some things."

"Right. I'll just get out of your way." He made sure he shut everything he had been looking at down and nodded to the twi'lek as he left the room.

Vette shut the door behind him, leaving him standing in the passageway. His head was still pounding. Damn banthas. Well, nothing for it. He headed to the medbay, maybe he could find something there to tell him what had happened, along with get rid of this blasted headache.

The medbay was, as usual, pristine. He grimaced. Did that man ever put _any_thing out of place? Not knowing where to find a stim for his headache, Pierce was forced to dig through everything in the room. In the process, he noticed one unusual thing. There were a lot fewer med supplies than there ought to be. Whoever was hurt had been hurt pretty badly.

He jabbed the analgesic stim into his upper arm and whirled around, walking quickly out of the room. On the other side of the doorway, he slammed full force into Quinn. The smaller man dropped to the floor so quickly Pierce thought for a wild moment he'd killed him.

The captain regained his feet after a moment though, no help from Pierce, not that either would accept help from the other. "Would you kindly watch where you are going in the future, Lieutenant."

Pierce did not fail to notice that Quinn had put his request in the form of an order, nor did he fail to notice that the captain somehow turned his rank into an insult every time he spoke it. "Sorry, mate. Didn't see you down there." He grinned evilly. Taunting Quinn was nearly his favorite past time. He just wished he could taunt him about what he really wanted to.

The captain's scowl deepened, and Pierce saw the livid bruises on his face. He also noticed how stiffly the other man was standing. Quinn was always parade ground stiff, but he looked like everything hurt right now, "Excuse me, Lieutenant. I need to get to the medical supplies."

"Not much left from what I saw. What happened to you?"

"None of your business."

"That so?" he moved closer to the captain, "Because you look like some Sith Lord used you for a punching bag."

He was surprised at how that particular jab seemed to hit home. Quinn flinched noticeably and pushed past the bigger man, closing and locking the door to the medical bay behind him.

Pierce frowned. Why had that upset the other man so much? Unless…his suspicions were correct and their stop at the transponder station had been unnecessary and the Sith had made her displeasure known to the captain. The lieutenant felt a feral smile grow on his face. If Quinn had fallen out of favor to the point where she had beat the stuffing out of him, he might have a chance with the Sith.

With a much lighter step, Pierce entered his quarters only to stop short. "My lord, I didn't expect to see you here. What can I do for you?" he knew his question had sounded more hopeful than he actually wanted it to, but he couldn't help that.

"Lieutenant," Well, that wasn't the way he imagined this conversation starting, "You seem to be looking for something today."

"Why would you say that, my lord?"

"Because you used the holonet access from Vette's station, and you just spent twenty minutes rifling through the medical supplies."

"Had a headache all day. Just trying to find a stim for it."

"Everything in there is labeled, Lieutenant. I have no doubt you could have found the stim much faster if that had been all you were looking for."

"I…"

"Let me make this simple. Tell me the truth."

His eyes widened. She wasn't messing around and his new fantasies of the two of them together were beginning to fray, "Fine. I woke up on the floor and have been trying to figure out why."

"You drank too much, Pierce." She shifted her weight onto her left leg, and crossed her arms, "You always do on jumps."

"Yeah, well, they're boring." He tried not to stare at her legs, she was still in her workout gear, "Besides, this isn't a hangover headache, and I don't think I was only asleep for one night."

The Sith grinned slightly, "No, you weren't. It's been three days. I was actually starting to worry. The alcohol made you more susceptible than I thought."

"You did knock me out."

"I did."

He tried a grin, moving further into the room, closer to her, "So you could have your wicked way with me?"

She rolled her eyes, "No, Pierce. Please stop that."

He shrugged, "Can't blame a guy for trying."

She shook her head, "Maybe, but I'm not asking again either."

"Fair enough. Will you tell me why you knocked me out?"

She studied him, her expression revealing nothing, "You tell me. You've been investigating all day. What did you learn?"

"I learned there's no special requirement for travel within the Corellian system, other than the warnings that it's a warzone and you're taking your life in your hands if you try it. I learned that someone was injured, badly, when you two went to that bogus transponder station that Quinn insisted we stop at. What I haven't learned is why."

"You've put together a fairly good picture of what happened," her voice was soft.

"But you don't trust me enough to tell me," he said flatly.

"It's not that," her voice was still quiet, "You're a very passionate person, Lieutenant. You tend to act first, think later. Many Sith are the same. I simply was not…ready…to deal with what I knew your reaction would be when you learned everything."

"Not ready? And what do you mean by everything? What happened there?"

She took a deep breath. Pierce suddenly noticed that during their conversation she had somehow switched places with him and he was now the one in the center of the room while she stood in the doorway. His eyes narrowed. She was planning to physically block him from leaving the room when she had said what she was going to say. "The transponder station was a trap, set by Baras, in order to kill me before I could reach Corellia."

Pierce tensed, white-hot fury starting to build. He peripherally noticed Jaesa join the Sith at the door. "A trap? And your precious captain didn't catch on to that fact?" he growled.

The Sith's chin came up, "He helped set it." She stated bluntly.

"What?" his voice was quieter than even he was expecting.

"You heard me, Lieutenant. Don't make me say it again."

He stalked towards her, his massive frame making her appear tiny in comparison, "You're saying that that filth helped set you up, tried to _kill_ you, and now you're standing there _protecting_ him?"

"I will not justify myself to you, Lieutenant."

"I'm gonna kill him," he snarled, and he was going to _enjoy_ it.

"No. You are not. If you try you will be unconscious for a lot longer than three days."

Pierce felt his jaw drop. How could she possibly not only have let that…that…he couldn't think of an epithet strong enough to express his disgust with the captain, that _coward_ live in the first place, but now she was preventing him from ending the captain's pathetic life as well. "He deserves to die. How can you let that traitor live? What kind of a Sith _are_ you?"

He knew he'd gone too far before her eyes flashed and he found himself pinned to the opposite wall of the room unable to move, barely able to even suck in a breath.

"You will not question me. Do I make myself clear?" Pierce had never been so simultaneously terrified and entranced by anyone before than he was by her at that moment.

"Yes, my lord." He managed to choke the words out between gasping breaths.

She let him fall, "I will be watching. You will do nothing, say nothing. If you find this does not agree with you, you will leave my service." Her tone brooked no argument, and the statement that he would leave her service sounded morbidly permanent.

He nodded, "I understand." So much for the frontal assault. He was going to have to be very careful from now on. Her devotion to Quinn was almost ludicrous in the face of what he'd just learned, but she would not budge, not in a direct attack. He was going to have to undermine it instead.

He couldn't leave her. He knew he couldn't. She had trapped him without even trying and he was helpless. Pierce would spend the rest of his life in her orbit, grateful for the slightest ray of her attention that came his way.


	4. Chapter 4

This was probably the hardest chapter to write. There is very little about Talz behavior that I could find other than they are gentle and clan-oriented. I took most of my information from Broonmark's codex entry as far as how he reacts to things.

oOo

There was tension in the clan. It made the air heavy, thick, it smelled bad. Tension might lead to bloodshed. Broonmark hoped the warrior would make it so. He hoped he might be allowed to kill that skinny little blue thing that chirped at him constantly. His loyalty was to the warrior. She had allowed him to regain his honor. These other members of her clan were now his, but he had no loyalty to them.

Broonmark had spent little time with other species. He found he didn't like it. He was expected to remember the names of even the weakest of them. He didn't bother.

The big human male was tolerable. He was a warrior as well, and his smell was that of one who took what he wanted and shed the blood of those who stood in his way. He was strong. Broonmark approved of this.

The little blue thing was no fighter. She carried weapons, but also the smell of fear clung to her constantly. Fear of losing…something. Broonmark had no patience for this female. She was weak, she should have been killed at birth. Her strength was in deception, which was the same as no strength.

The other female smelled sometimes like the little blue one and sometimes like the warrior. She had strength, but no stomach to use it. Broonmark thought she was weak also. Until he saw her fight and smelt her strength in battle. If she could be trained to glory in her strength, she might actually be a valuable mate to one of her species.

The other human male confused Broonmark. His strength was not that of a warrior. Yet, he exuded authority which even the strong male bowed to and the warrior woman listened to. He was also the warrior woman's mate. This confused the Talz even more. She was strong in a way this man could never be, and yet they both seemed content.

The tension was new though. He was not sure of the source. It made him anxious, and when he was anxious he shed. When he shed, the blue thing chirped at him more often and he had to remind himself the warrior woman liked the blue thing and would not appreciate him removing her head. Still, his claws itched to carve into her flesh. She would be no challenge, he would take neither glory nor honor from the kill, but such pleasure.

The Talz noticed the environment was growing warmer…again. The blue thing must have changed the temperature regulator again. She was always changing it. She must be sick, she needed it far warmer than any species could possibly find comfortable.

There had been some commotion a few days ago. That's when the tension had been thickest. It had eased up the last couple of days, but today it was stifling again. He noticed the big male was up wandering and Broonmark hadn't seen him for a while. He was possibly the source of the tension today. It was likely since the big male coveted the warrior woman as a potential mate and she refused his advances, instead focusing her affections on her current mate.

He hadn't bothered to find out what was going on. He heard the warrior woman and her mate return from some station they were supposedly required to stop at. He could smell the blood and battle on them and his blood sang at the thought that there might be more to come. It was not to be, however. Shortly after their return, the ship had shuddered and jumped to hyperspace signaling to the Talz that there would be no further bloodshed this day.

Since then, the choking tension had eased. His instincts told him it was between the warrior woman and her mate. Maybe she had realized he was not worthy of her? Broonmark found this to be entirely plausible. The big male thought he was worthy of her, but Broonmark knew this was not the case either. The big male needed to be dominant and the warrior woman would never allow this.

He had been practicing his own defensive tactics when the warrior woman and the other woman had come into the training area to spar. He admired both of their forms as they worked. The warrior woman was clearly superior, but when she stopped being afraid the other woman was formidable as well.

"Broonmark? Do you have a moment?"

"Always for the clan," Broonmark replied. The warrior woman smiled slightly at his response.

"I need to tell you something."

He waited. Perhaps she would share the source of the tension and there would be bloodshed after all.

"You may have noticed when we came back the other day there had been fighting."

"You smelled of blood and battle. It was surely a great victory for the clan."

She shook her head, "No, it was not a victory for the clan."

Her smell had darkened, for the first time Broonmark smelled something other than strength from her. It wasn't weakness, he knew that, but it was something he was unfamiliar with, "Is the clan dishonored?"

"Perhaps one of us is." She replied softly.

"Is Broonmark dishonored?" he asked in confusion.

"No," she reassured him, her smell brightening a bit, "No, Broonmark, you're not dishonored," she took a breath, "The station was a trap. We were set up."

"Who seeks to trap us? Do we hunt them?"

"Well, Baras, first of all, is the one who wants to trap us, and yes, we are definitely hunting the coward down."

"How does this dishonor the clan?"

"Broonmark…before I say anything more, I ask you, on your honor, to do nothing about what I am going to tell you. No revenge. No threats of revenge. No promises of bloodshed. Nothing. If you do any of those things, I will consider you a disgrace to the clan. I have made a decision, and I expect all of you to abide by it."

"You ask that our claws not drink the blood of our trapper?"

"Baras, yes, go ahead, claw him to shreds. No one else. Do you promise you will not take any action?"

The Talz was highly confused. If honor had been tainted, it must be cleansed by blood. But if the warrior woman asked for not-his-claws, he must obey also. "Our claws will not take revenge on any but those you tell us to."

She nodded in acknowledgement of his vow, "Baras used Captain Quinn to set the trap."

There was a beat of silence. Broonmark could not comprehend such betrayal could go unpunished, but the warrior woman had said that it must. With difficulty, he nodded his head to show his understanding, "The clan must not revenge itself on your mate, only on the one who caused him to betray us."

"Exactly."

"Our claws thirst for his blood, but we will honor your request."

"I understand the difficulty Broonmark. I know you will not dishonor us." With a final nod, she left the room.

Broonmark watched her leave. Her loyalty to her mate was admirable, but if it was misplaced only time would tell. He decided he would never understand other species.


End file.
